Sasakawa Africa Association

SAA and its SG2000 country programs work in close collaboration with national agricultural extension services across sub-Saharan Africa, improving their operational activities and strengthening the abilities of their front-line staff. SAA’s sister organization – the Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education (SAFE) – specializes in building the talents and skills of national extension service staff, and manages the SAA Theme 4, Human Resource Development. Thousands of government extension staff in target countries have been assigned by their ministries to participate in and learn from SG 2000 program activities. In addition, governments have contributed significant financial support for field-level operations. Since 1986, SAA (and SAFE) programs have changed the lives of millions of smallholder farmers. The SAA vision, mission and strategic goals have remained constant over the years, though its organization, operational practices and activities have regularly adapted to changing realities on the ground. The commitment and support of the Nippon Foundation – the main donor to SAA and SAFE – has also remained steady, an unusual and very important fact in the history of agricultural development. The culture and spirit of SAA is perhaps best encapsulated by the last words of Dr. Borlaug, who passed away in 2009. To his dying day Dr. Borlaug remained vitally interested in what science can do to improve the lives of resource-poor farmers, and when one of his last visitors was describing to him a promising new technology, Dr. Borlaug’s only comment was “Take it to the farmer!”. His admonition reflects the life he led, and defines clearly the enduring ethos of the organization he helped found.  Vision A more food-secure rural Africa with increasing numbers of prospering smallholder commercial farmers. Mission To transform African extension advisory services in partner countries to assure greater family food security and more profitable participation in commercial activities along the value chain, while respecting natural resources.  Strategic Goals Establish cost-effective farmer learning platforms that improve productivity in smallholder food systems, especially for resource-poor women farmers and those with low levels of technical efficiency, and increase food security and livelihoods. Enable smallholder farmers to capture a larger proportion of the economic benefits inherent in agricultural food value chains. Create Public-Private Partnerships that financially support delivery of extension services for enhanced smallholder agricultural development and enhance profitable market access. Strengthen agricultural extension systems by building capacity of extension professionals and smallholder farmers to accelerate agricultural productivity and credit more competitive value chains. Establish information and knowledge management information systems that enable adaptation, modification and change of technologies and approaches, improve efficiency and impacts, and communicate lessons and best practices for timely evidence-based decision-making.